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"Second Honoring: The Life of Russell Means" Celebration on 40th Anniversary of Wounded Knee Occupation

ICTMN Staff

2/26/13

On Wednesday, February 27, the family of Russell Means will hold a celebration on Pine Ridge to honor the life of Oglala activitst Russell Means. The date coincides with the 40th anniversary of the start of the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee by the American Indian Movement, led by Means.

The event will be held at Pine Ridge School in the old gymnasium, west of campus, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Doors open at 4:00 p.m. The honoring will highlight Means's life, leadership and the "eternal fire that he re-ignited throughout Indian country," reported Native News Network. Dinner will be served at the Pine Ridge School Cafeteria at 5:00 p.m. The honoring service will begin at 6:00 pm. The event will include guest speakers, including relatives, Wounded Knee veterans and visiting dignitaries.

Chris Eagle Hawk, Oglala Lakota, will be the Eyapaha (announcer), and the Creekside Singers as the honor drum. Scotti Clifford, Oglala Lakota, of Scatter Their Own will perform an honor song. The Means family is sponsoring a traditional giveaway at this honoring.

Means walked on October 22, 2012, at his home and ranch in Porcupine, South Dakota.

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Russell Means was no hero; he was a bully, intimidating and assaulting his way to fame and fortune, often at the expense of his fellow Indians. Means faced serious allegations of rape (Looking Back Woman) and murder (Anna Mae Pictou Aquash, Leo Wilcox, Martin Mountileaux, Jamie Bordenkircher) among other crimes he got away with, partly due to fawning press coverage such as found at Native News Network. Means went to his grave a troubled man, taking many dark secrets with him. He evidently knew where the body of slain civil rights activist Ray Robinson was buried, near the Wounded Knee village ruins, but he lacked the courage to come clean; he choose tormenting the Robinson family over Indian tradition. With the help of Senator James Abourezk's legal advice, Means fooled many people into believing he was the victim who just happen to be near the bodies. Despite a legacy of betrayal and violence, Russell Means’ singular accomplishment, skirting the law, leaves Indian Country to deal with his non-Indian dupes and their need to distort history.

You state 'Means faced serious allegations of rape' by S Dupree. He did not, she never brought charges and apparently only raised the alleged rape in very recent years. There are of course 2 completely different versions of the allegation made by her, set in different locations. This is not usual for a rape victim. You refer to murder - there is no evidence he was linked to Anna Mae Aquash's murder. Recently you have admitted that you knew he was in prison in California at the time Ray Robinson was said to have been at Wounded Knee. That hasn't prevented accusations in the past being made against Russell Means for involvement in that murder. He was acquitted in the M Mountileaux case and no charges brought in other cases, or evidence produced to link him. It would be good if you could keep your malicious vendettas away from native news site, I would think.